Chapter 12: The Merit of Slaying a General! Killing Enemies Also Yields Attributes!

"There are enemy soldiers."
"Charge."
"Kill them."
The surrounding logistics troops rushed forward instantly.
With an overwhelming numerical advantage, these logistics soldiers, despite lacking armor, felt no fear; after all, everyone wanted to kill these few enemy soldiers to earn military merit.
They were fast.
But Zhu Zheng was even faster.
In just a few strides, he dashed ahead.
He immediately reached the front of Zhu Gaoxu.
Zhu Zheng drew the fine steel saber from his waist and charged toward the few enemy soldiers before him.
Head-on.
An enemy soldier swung his blade to strike.
Zhu Zheng felt no trepidation at all; the movements of the enemy before him seemed agonizingly slow. Zhu Zheng sidestepped, dodging the blade, and followed through with a slash of his right hand.
With a sharp crunch, hot blood sprayed across Zhu Zheng's face.
The enemy soldier before him was cut down in a single stroke.
"Enemy soldier killed. Obtained 5 points of Strength, 5 taels of silver, and 10 days of lifespan," the system panel prompted.
"As I thought."
"Killing enemies yields greater attributes."
Zhu Zheng mused inwardly, looking at the remaining enemy soldiers without the slightest hesitation.
He charged forward, brandishing his steel saber.
Each swing carried over several hundred pounds of force, far more than an ordinary person could withstand.
Under the stunned gazes of the surrounding logistics troops and the combat soldiers who were rapidly approaching, the five enemy soldiers pretending to be dead were easily dispatched by Zhu Zheng in a few swift strikes.
"Enemy soldier killed. Obtained 5 points of Stamina, 5 taels of silver, and 5 days of lifespan."
"Enemy soldier killed. Obtained 5 points of Agility, obtained..."
"Host has killed over 5 enemies. Awarded one Common Treasure Chest."
A series of notifications chimed in Zhu Zheng's ears.
When the enemies before him were all dealt with, Zhu Zheng gripped his blade, staring at the corpses he had killed with his own hands. Their hot blood was still dripping from his face, and the visceral impact left him breathing heavily.
It was not fear.
Nor was it terror.
It was an indescribable internal sensation.
He had killed someone!
Although he had lived in this era for many years, many of his values remained rooted in the perspectives of the future; killing a person was something he had never dared to imagine!
But now, in the span of just over a dozen breaths, he had killed six people in succession.
Even though it was on the battlefield and they were the enemy, the shock was immense.
"My goodness."

"Are the logistics troops this fierce?"
"Without even wearing armor, he cleared out these enemies so quickly?"
"Is this really a logistics soldier?"
"Such bravery."
...
The group of combat soldiers who had just arrived also looked at Zhu Zheng with astonishment.
They had intended to step in and finish off these feigning enemies, but the battle had ended before they could even reach them—and it had been done by a single person.
This left them feeling both helpless and bewildered.
Just then!
A large contingent of combat troops arrived, led by the Chiliarch, Zhang Fu.
Seeing the situation, he walked straight toward Zhu Gaoxu, his face full of concern: "Are you alright?"
"I... I am fine."
Zhu Gaoxu immediately shook his head, though his face still bore the pallor of one who had narrowly escaped death.
Zhang Fu nodded, scanned the pile of corpses, and shouted: "All Beiping soldiers, listen! To ensure no enemies are playing dead among the bodies, pierce every corpse again to ensure there is no danger."
"Yes!" the surrounding combat troops replied in unison.
Just at that moment!
"Chiliarch!"
"This... this appears to be Xie Gongchu."
A combat soldier walked up to a corpse pierced by a saber, took one look, and exclaimed in shock.
Hearing this, Zhang Fu immediately turned his gaze toward the body and strode over to inspect it.
"It really is him!"
Zhang Fu's eyes lit up with joy: "When we took the city, Tongzhou was already under our control. He had no chance to escape. I never expected he would hide among the dead, hoping to be transported out by the logistics troops. A clever plan indeed."
"However, he underestimated our army in the end."
Saying this, Zhang Fu scanned the area and shouted: "Who killed Xie Gongchu?"
At this question, Zhu Gaoxu's gaze turned toward Zhu Zheng, who was covered in blood and standing frozen in deep thought.
The surrounding logistics and combat soldiers also turned their eyes toward Zhu Zheng.
In that moment, silence spoke louder than words.
Zhang Fu immediately grasped the situation.
"Brother, was it you who killed Xie Gongchu?" Zhang Fu stepped forward and asked with a smile.
"Him?"
Zhu Zheng snapped out of his reverie, pointed at the corpse of Xie Gongchu on the ground, and replied casually: "If it is him, then I killed him. This man was about to strike the Vice-Chiliarch, so in my urgency, I threw a blade at him, and it happened to kill him."
"That wasn't just a casual throw," Zhang Fu said, looking at the state of Xie Gongchu's body, where the saber had pierced through his armor and body. How much strength would that require?
As a Chiliarch in the Beiping army, constantly engaged in battles with northern tribes, Zhang Fu was naturally very familiar with the realities of the battlefield.
"What is your name and rank?" Zhang Fu asked solemnly.

"Zhu Zheng, a Banner Officer in the Logistics Hundred-Man Battalion," Zhu Zheng replied immediately.
Zhu Zheng would certainly not pass up credit for his own military achievements.
With his luck surging, he had killed the main general of the imperial court stationed in Tongzhou; this was no small merit.
To rise in rank and title!
To become stronger!
This was Zhu Zheng's goal.
Perhaps in the future, he would even be counted among the heroes of the Jingnan Campaign.
After awakening his "golden finger," Zhu Zheng had already planned his future.
He would first use the wars of the Jingnan Campaign to grow stronger, gain power during the Yongle era, and then continue to strengthen himself while cultivating his own influence.
In the future, a great empire was within reach.
The world was vast, and with his golden finger awakened, Zhu Zheng would not remain a mere subordinate forever.
One day, he would surely establish his own empire.
"Chiliarch!"
"Not only this Xie Gongchu, but all five of the enemy soldiers who were playing dead were killed by Brother Zhu Zheng here," a nearby combat soldier spoke up.
Hearing this, Zhang Fu looked at Zhu Zheng with even more admiration, clearly moved.
"Zhu Zheng."
"I have noted your military merit and will report it immediately."
"I will request a commendation for you," Zhang Fu said instantly.
Furthermore, there was one thing Zhang Fu did not explicitly state: Zhu Zheng had saved Zhu Gaoxu.
The second son of the Prince of Yan.
This was a massive achievement!
In the crisis just now, if anything had happened to Zhu Gaoxu after the battle had supposedly ended, Zhang Fu would have been held accountable.
After all, upon launching the Jingnan Campaign, the Prince of Yan had entrusted Zhu Gaoxu to his care.
He had thought the logistics unit was the safest place to let him gain experience, but it seemed that as long as one was on the battlefield, danger was constant.
"Many thanks, Chiliarch Zhang," Zhu Zheng immediately cupped his hands in gratitude.
"All soldiers, listen!"
"Be extra careful and cautious when clearing the corpses."
"Do not let any enemy soldiers playing dead ambush you."
"Every single corpse must be stabbed again before it is cleared," Zhang Fu commanded sternly once more.